Press Release: Mars and Venus in the Square Mile

Employers need to appreciate that men and women are different and look at ways to enhance working relations

London, July 2003 - 81 per cent of women believe that men are uncomfortable working with influential women, according to a survey from Eve-olution, the leading training and development firm for female leaders and vielife, the leading health management firm. The results highlight the fact that organisations are overlooking the differences between men and women in the workforce and, as a result, are not only making it difficult for women to progress in the workplace, but also reducing their motivation and happiness. In fact, nearly 59% of the 234 respondents stated that they felt women are not recognised or promoted on an equal basis to their male colleagues.

Clive Pinder, Managing Director of vielife said:

"Organisations need to recognise that women and men have some elemental differences. Rather than force these differences into the traditional working relationship, we need to celebrate these differences and recognise that women have different values, skills and drivers to men. In a world that is no longer driven by "the deal", and where we claim that customers and human capital are our most important assets, women are often better equipped to build and nurture long-term relationships with employees and customers. Firms need to re-evaluate how men and women work together and encourage support programmes which lever women's core skills and values. Training and support programmes are two areas that businesses can use to improve relations before productivity is affected."

When asked what would help to improve the situation 78% believed that not enough money is invested in training men on how to work more effectively with their female colleagues. In addition, 87% of respondents did not feel that adequate gender specific training and development is provided. This was followed closely by mentoring and coaching which is rarely given to employees.

Worryingly, the survey also discovered that in addition to women's training needs being ignored by companies, those that did offer programmes were not effectively drawing on the different but complementary skills of men and women. This feeling of ignoring women's needs was also felt in the promotion process, since nearly half (46%) of respondents did not believe that businesses recognise the benefits of promoting women to senior positions or the skills which women have.

Tracey Carr, Managing Director, Eve-olution said:

"It is disconcerting to see that there are still a large number of organisations in the UK that are not investing in leadership coaching for women to encourage them to senior levels or looking at developing men and women on how to work more effectively together. We are going through a unique period in history where men and women are having to learn for the first time, mostly by trial and error, how to get along at work whilst keeping quiet about the differences and challenges. Training is not only a means to ensure staff have the vital skills required to carry out their jobs to their best of their ability, it is an essential part of any retention strategy and can help meet overall business goals through a motivated and focused workface.

"Moreover, it is shocking that 72% of the women questioned believe that flexible working and job share options impede carer advancement, especially as 'work/life' balance programmes are being held as a panacea to keep women in the work place. For women to be fully integrated into a diverse workforce where all are valued equally, we need to create a new culture where difference is not perceived as inferior. This is especially so for any person who needs to take up flexible working." said Tracey Carr.

The research surveyed 234 senior women at management level and above from a range of organisations across key industry sectors throughout the UK. The research was carried out by Eve-olution's research arm.

Women Leaders Speak Out

To see a presentation slideshow of the survey analysis and its findings, you can view it here (size: 3383kb). Alternatively, you can download it onto your hard drive by right-clicking the link and selecting the "Save as" option on the menu that appears on your screen. You will need a copy of Microsoft Powerpoint to view the slideshow. Alternatively, you can download a free copy of Microsoft's Powerpoint Viewer utility (size: 2789kb). from the Microsoft corporate site.

For more information

Press office can be reached at Cubitt Consulting

Simon Barker, +44 (0)20 7367 5119/07866 314331 E-mail: simon.barker@cubitt.com
Isabel Fox, +44 (0)20 7367 5108/07703 477818 E-mail: isabel.fox@cubitt.com

Notes to Editors

Eve-olution
Eve-olution is the only company in the UK that is dedicated to assisting companies to achieve a balanced and diverse workforce through innovative, tailored training and development initiatives. Their flagship event 'The Creative Female Leader' has been running as an open programme for over 18 months and provides high performance leadership coaching for women. Eve-olution's core team has an unrivalled reputation in transformational leadership coaching and their clients include many of the UK's largest corporations. www.eve-olution.net

vielife has 13 years of experience optimising individual and corporate performance through integrated and accountable health management programmes. Using a unique evidence-based approach that integrates the four critical areas of health & well-being - sleep, stress, nutrition and fitness activity - with proven 'stages of change' methodology*, vielife identifies which people issues drive corporate performance and helps employees and employers manage health & well-being through online and offline programmes that are directly linked to business drivers. www.vielife.com

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